Habitat: Ice floes and coastal waters in the polar regions of North America, Asia, Europe and Greenland

Diet: Seals, walrus, rodents, sea birds and fish. Will eat some berries and other vegetable matter when the food supply is limited

Life Span: Twenty to 25 years

Reproduction: Breeding occurs in May and June. In December or January the mother will have 1 to 3 cubs, weighing between 1 to 1½ pounds.

Fact: Polar bears are great swimmers and can swim for miles. A cub will cling to its mother's fur while she is swimming.

The Arctic Passage exhibit will bring Polar Bears back to Madison!

HARBOR SEAL - Least Concern

Scientific Name:Phoca vitulina

IUCN Status: Least Concern

Habitat: Temperate shorelines of oceans of the Northern Hemisphere, in shallow bays with gradual shorelines.

Diet: Crustaceans (shrimps, crabs, barnacles, lobsters). Adults consume 9-18 lbs. of food per day, about 5-6% of their body weight.
Life Span: 25 - 30 years in the wild.

Reproduction: Males (bulls) are sexually mature when they reach 165 lbs., between 3-7 years; females (cows), at 110 lbs., when between 2-6 years. Gestation period is 9 - 11 months, which usually results in the birth of a single pup.

Fact: According to IUCN (International Union of Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), the seal survival rate is vulnerable. This seal is protected by law in the United States, but not in Canada, Germany and United Kingdom.